Method and apparatus for detecting a plurality of symbol blocks

ABSTRACT

Teachings presented herein offer reduced computational complexity for detecting a plurality of symbol blocks, even for symbol blocks that comprise the combination of a relatively large number of symbols. The teachings perform two or more stages of detection assistance to successively reduce the number of candidate combinations of symbols to be considered for a symbol block when detecting the plurality of symbol blocks. In particular, the teachings identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for at least one symbol block in the plurality of symbol blocks, and then jointly detect each of one or more distinct groups of symbols in the symbol block to determine from that reduced set a final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations. Detection of the plurality of symbol blocks limits the candidate combinations of symbols considered for a symbol block to the final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified for that symbol block.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to symbol block detection, and particularly to reducing the complexity of symbol block detection using multi-stage assistance.

BACKGROUND

Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) systems, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) services in Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and similar packet services in CDMA2000, transmit a sequence of symbols by modulating the symbols upon a high chip-rate CDMA code. Preferably, the CDMA code is orthogonal to the codes used to transmit other symbol sequences, allowing the receiver to separate out its desired symbol sequence from the others by correlating with a particular code.

To increase data rates for a given receiver, the receiver may be assigned to receive multiple symbol sequences sent in parallel using different orthogonal codes (which may or may not have the same spreading factor). In this case, the receiver receives a sequence of symbol blocks, where each symbol block comprises a combination of two or more symbols. For example, in HSPA, the highest uplink data rate permits a receiver to receive blocks of three 16-QAM symbols sent over four chip periods.

Yet when a sequence of symbol blocks is received over a dispersive channel, destroying orthogonality between codes, intersymbol interference (ISI) results between time-successive symbol blocks and between the symbols within each symbol block. In other words, with dispersive transmission channels, a symbol within any given symbol block in a time-wise sequence of symbol blocks suffers interference arising from other symbols in the same block, and interference arising from other symbol blocks.

A similar problem occurs in non-spread systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), where multiple users can be assigned the same channel resource (frequency subcarrier or time slot). ISI may also be caused by Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) transmission, where non-orthogonal symbol sequences are sent from different antennas. In all cases, some form of interference suppression or equalization is needed.

One approach employing maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) would hypothesize all M^(N) possible combinations of symbols in each symbol block and form metrics to determine the most likely symbol combination, where M is the number of possible values each symbol may take and N is the number of symbols in each symbol block. However, even for blocks of three 16-QAM symbols in the HSPA uplink, the 16³=4096 possible symbol combinations for each symbol block renders such an approach impractical as the state-size and number of metrics to compute would be prohibitively large.

Another approach, Generalized MLSE arbitration (GMA) also referred to as Assisted Maximum Likelihood Detection (AMLD) with Single-Stage Assistance (SSA), reduces computational complexity. See U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/035,932, which is co-owned with the instant application. In AMLD with SSA, a stage of detection assistance is performed to identify the K most likely possible symbol values for the individual symbols in each symbol block, where K<M. The sequence of symbol blocks is then detected by limiting the possible combinations of symbols hypothesized for each symbol block to those formed from the most likely possible symbol values identified in the stage of detection assistance. Thus, only K^(N) possible combinations of symbols for a symbol block need be hypothesized when detecting the sequence of symbol blocks. In the HSPA uplink, for example, if the stage of detection assistance identifies the four most likely possible symbol values for the symbols in a symbol block, only 4³=64 possible combinations need be hypothesized rather than 4096.

At higher data rates, however, these and other prior approaches nonetheless remain overly complicated. Indeed, the number symbols in a symbol block, and thereby the number of possible combinations of symbols that must be hypothesized, increases with the data rate. In the HSPA downlink, for instance, symbol blocks can consist of up to fifteen 16-QAM symbols, meaning that even the AMLD with SSA approach described in the example above must still hypothesize 4¹⁵ possible combinations of symbols for each symbol block.

SUMMARY

Teachings presented herein offer reduced computational complexity for symbol block detection, even for symbol blocks that comprise combinations of a relatively large number of symbols. The teachings perform two or more stages of detection assistance to successively reduce the number of candidate combinations of symbols to be considered for each symbol block when detecting a plurality of symbol blocks.

In particular, a demodulator as taught herein is configured to detect a plurality of symbol blocks in a received signal. Each symbol block may comprise any symbol combination within a defined set of candidate symbol combinations. To determine the symbol combination represented by each symbol block, and thereby detect the plurality of symbol blocks, one or more assisting detectors, a final assisting detector, and a detector are included in the demodulator. At least one of the one or more assisting detectors is configured to detect two or more individual symbols in a symbol block, or to jointly detect each of two or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block. Collectively, however, the one or more assisting detectors are configured to identify from the defined set of candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block. In one embodiment, for example, an assisting detector identifies a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for a symbol block by determining the most likely candidate symbol values for each individual symbol in that symbol block, much the same way as in AMLD with SSA.

The final assisting detector then determines from the reduced set identified for a symbol block a final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block. The final reduced set contains even fewer candidate symbol combinations than those in the reduced set. To determine this final reduced set, the final assisting detector jointly detects each of one or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block, such as by generating joint metrics associated with possible combinations of symbols within a group and comparing the joint metrics to identify the most likely combinations.

A detector included in the demodulator thereafter detects the plurality of symbol blocks. Instead of considering all candidate symbol combinations in the defined set, however, the detector processes the received signal in a joint detection process that limits the candidate combinations of symbols considered for a symbol block to the final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined for that symbol block. In limiting the candidate combinations of symbols considered by the detector according to the results of the one or more assisting detectors and the final assisting detector, these assisting detectors greatly reduce the complexity of symbol block detection performed by the detector.

The one or more assisting detectors and the final assisting detector can be understood, therefore, as performing two or more stages of detection assistance in succession. Each stage of detection assistance successively reduces the number of candidate symbol combinations for a symbol block to be considered by the detector for symbol block detection, such as by jointly detecting progressively larger distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block across the stages of detection assistance. The extent of reduction at each stage, the manner in which reduction is accomplished at each stage, and the number of stages of detection assistance (i.e., the number of assisting detectors), may be chosen or dynamically varied based on how many possible values exist for each symbol and how many symbols are contained within each symbol block.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above features and advantages. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize additional features and advantages upon reading the following detailed description, and upon viewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a demodulator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a diagram of a defined set of candidate symbol values for a symbol within an example QPSK constellation.

FIG. 2B is a diagram of a defined set of candidate symbol combinations for an example symbol block comprising a combination of four QPSK symbols.

FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating symbol block sequence detection assistance for an example symbol block according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2D is a diagram of example state spaces in a trellis according to symbol block sequence detection according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of symbol block sequence detection assistance for an example sequence of symbol blocks that each comprises a combination of eight symbols.

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of symbol block sequence detection assistance for an example sequence of symbol blocks that each comprises a combination of eleven symbols.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of symbol block sequence detection assistance for an example sequence of symbol blocks that each comprises a combination of eleven symbols.

FIG. 5 is a logic flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for detecting a sequence of symbol blocks according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless communication network base station and corresponding user equipment, either or both of which may be configured with demodulation circuits of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a transmitter and receiver, where the receiver is configured with demodulation circuits according to the teachings herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a demodulator 10 configured to detect a time sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14 logically conveyed by a received signal 16. Each symbol block 14 comprises a combination of N symbols 18, where N≧2. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, one symbol block 14-1 comprises the combination of three symbols 18 denoted as s1, s2, and s3, while another symbol block 14-2 comprises the combination of three other symbols 18 denoted as s4, s5, and s6. Each symbol 18 may have any one of M possible values (also referred to herein as “candidate symbol values”), the set of which is defined by the modulation constellation used to form the symbols 18 for transmission.

With M possible values for each of N symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, each symbol block 14 may comprise any symbol combination within a defined set of M^(N) possible symbol combinations (also referred to herein as “candidate symbol combinations”). To determine the symbol combination represented by each symbol block 14, and thereby detect the sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14, the demodulator 10 comprises one or more processing circuits 20. The one or more processing circuits 20 include one or more assisting detectors 22, a final assisting detector 24, and a detector 26.

At least one of the one or more assisting detectors 23 is configured to either detect two or more individual symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, or to jointly detect each of two or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14. By detecting symbols 18 or groups of symbols 18 in this way, the one or more assisting detectors 22 are collectively configured to identify from the defined set of M^(N) candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block 14 in the sequence 12, a reduced set 23 of R_(a) candidate symbol combinations. The reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations identified for a symbol block 14 contains fewer candidate symbol combinations than those in the defined set (i.e., R_(a)<M^(N)).

The final assisting detector 24 is configured to determine from this reduced set 23 a final reduced set 25 of R_(f) candidate symbol combinations for the at least one symbol block 14, which contains even fewer candidate symbol combinations than those in the reduced set 23 (i.e., R_(f)<R_(a)). To do so, the final assisting detector 24 jointly detects one or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in the symbol block 14, such as by generating joint metrics associated with possible combinations of symbols within a group and comparing the joint metrics to identify the most likely combinations.

The detector 26 is configured to detect the sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14 and to generate e.g., soft bit values 88 corresponding to the sequence 12. That is, the detector 26 is configured to actually determine the candidate symbol combination represented by each of the symbol blocks 14. Instead of considering all M^(N) candidate symbol combinations in the defined set, however, the detector 26 processes the received signal 16 in a joint detection process that limits the candidate combinations of symbols 18 considered for a symbol block 14 to the final reduced set 25 of R_(f) candidate symbol combinations determined for that symbol block 14. In limiting the candidate combinations of symbols 18 considered by the detector 26 according to the results of the one or more assisting detectors 22 and the final assisting detector 24, these assisting detectors 22 and 24 greatly reduce the complexity of symbol block detection performed by the detector 26.

Accordingly, the one or more assisting detectors 22 and the final assisting detector 24 can be understood in some embodiments as performing two or more stages of detection assistance in succession. Each stage of detection assistance successively reduces the number of candidate symbol combinations for a symbol block 14 to be considered by the detector 26 for symbol block detection. The extent of reduction at each stage, the manner in which reduction is accomplished at each stage, and the number of stages of detection assistance (i.e., the number of assisting detectors 22), may be chosen or dynamically varied based on how many possible values exist for each symbol 18 (i.e., M) and how many symbols 18 are contained within each symbol block 14 (i.e., N).

FIGS. 2A-2D provide a simple example of the above symbol block detection for a sequence of K symbol blocks that comprise four QPSK symbols (i.e., N=4, M=4). As shown specifically in FIG. 2A, each QPSK symbol may have any one of four possible symbol values: −1+j (labeled as ‘A’ for illustrative purposes), 1+j (‘B’), −1−j (‘C’), and 1−j (‘D’). These four possible symbol values comprise a defined set 30 of M=4 candidate symbol values for each QPSK symbol. With M=4 candidate symbol values for each of N=4 symbols in a symbol block, each symbol block may comprise any symbol combination within a defined set 32 of M^(N)=4⁴=256 candidate symbol combinations, as shown in FIG. 2B.

FIG. 2C illustrates three example stages of detection assistance performed by two assisting detectors 22 and the final assisting detector 24 for one symbol block k in a sequence of K symbol blocks. A first one of the two assisting detectors 22 performs stage one, and a second one of the assisting detectors 22 performs stage two. Collectively, the two assisting detectors 22 identify from the defined set 32 of candidate symbol combinations a reduced set 23 of only R_(a)=4 candidate symbol combinations. The final assisting detector 24 then performs the final stage of detection assistance to determine from this reduced set 23 a final reduced set 25 of merely R_(f)=2 candidate symbol combinations.

More particularly, the first assisting detector 22 performing stage one detects each of the four individual symbols within the symbol block k, to identify from the defined set 30 of M=4 candidate symbol values a reduced set 34 of S₁=2 candidate symbol values for each symbol. In one embodiment, for example, the first assisting detector 22 determines for each of the candidate symbol values in the defined set 30 the likelihood that a symbol actually has that value, and identifies the reduced set 34 as including the S₁=2 most likely candidate symbol values. With regard to symbol 1, for example, the first assisting detector 22 identifies candidate symbol values A and B as the most likely symbol values for symbol 1 out of all possible symbol values A, B, C, and D. Accordingly, the first assisting detector 22 includes these values A and B in a reduced set 34-1 of candidate symbol values for that symbol. Likewise with regard to symbol 4, the first assisting detector 22 identifies candidate symbol values A and D as the most likely and includes them in a reduced set 34-4 of candidate symbol values for that symbol.

The second assisting detector 22 performing stage two jointly detects each of two distinct groups of symbols in the symbol block k, to identify a reduced set 36 of S₂=2 candidate symbol combinations for each group. Again, each group is distinct in that symbols 1 and 2 form one group and symbols 3 and 4 form the other group. There is no overlap. In one embodiment, for example, the second assisting detector 22 computes joint metrics associated with possible combinations of symbols within each group that can be formed using the candidate symbol values in the reduced sets 34 identified for those symbols by the first assisting detector 22 (that is, the reduced sets 36 identified at the second stage are based on the reduced sets 34 identified at the first stage). The second assisting detector 22 then compares these joint metrics to identify the S₂=2 most likely combinations for that group of symbols. In the example of FIG. 2C, for instance, the second assisting detector 22 jointly detects a distinct group of symbols that includes the pair of symbols 1 and 2. The combinations of symbols 1 and 2 that can be formed from the candidate symbol values in the reduced sets 34-1 and 34-2 identified for symbols 1 and 2 by the first assisting detector 22 include: (A, B), (A, A), (B, B), and (B, A). Out of these possible combinations, the second assisting detector 22 identifies the combinations (A, B) and (B, B) as the most likely. Accordingly, the second assisting detector 22 includes these combinations in the reduced set 36-1,2 of candidate symbol combinations for the group of symbols 1 and 2. Likewise, the second assisting detector 22 identifies the combinations (D, D) and (C, A) as the most likely combination of the group of symbols 3 and 4 out of those combinations that can be formed using the candidate symbol values in the reduced sets 34-3 and 34-4 identified for those symbols by the first assisting detector 22.

Having identified the S₂=2 candidate symbol combinations within each of the reduced sets 36-1,2 and 36-3,4 as being the most likely combinations of the two groups of symbols 1,2 and 3,4, the assisting detectors 22 thereby collectively identify the reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations for the symbol block k. That is, the reduced set 23 includes those R_(a)=2²=4 combinations of symbols 1,2,3,4 that can be formed using the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced sets 36-2,1 and 36-3,4 identified for the distinct groups of symbols 1,2 and 3,4: (A,B,D,D), (A,B,C,A), (B,B,D,D), and (B,B,C,A).

The final assisting detector 24 performing the final stage of detection assistance in FIG. 2C jointly detects one distinct group of symbols that includes all four symbols in the symbol block k. In doing so, the final assisting detector 24 identifies from the reduced set 23 a final reduced set 25 of merely S_(f)=2 candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block k (because the final assisting detector 24 in this example jointly detects all symbols in the symbol block, S_(f)=R_(f)=2). Similar to the second assisting detector 22 described above, the final assisting detector 24 may generate a joint metric associated with each candidate symbol combination in the reduced set 23 and compare the generated joint metrics to identify a subset of the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set 23 as being most likely. In FIG. 2C, for instance, the final assisting detector 24 identifies the candidate symbol combinations (A,B,D,D) and (B,B,D,D) within the reduced set 23 as being most likely and includes them in the final reduced set 25.

FIG. 2D continues the above example by illustrating a joint detection process performed by the detector 26 to detect the sequence of K symbol blocks. In this example, the joint detection process comprises a sequence estimation process, such as MLSE, whereby the detector 26 operates on a trellis 40. The sequence of K symbol blocks are represented in the trellis 40 by a sequence of state spaces 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3, with the state space for symbol block k from the example being 42-2. Each state space 42 comprises a final reduced set 25 of R_(f)=2 candidate symbol combinations identified for the corresponding symbol block, as compared to the defined set of M^(N)=4⁴=256 candidate symbol combinations. The state space 42-2 for symbol block k, for example, is constrained to the final reduced set 25 of R_(f)=2 candidate symbol combinations identified by the final assisting detector 24 in FIG. 2C; namely (A,B,D,D) and (B,B,D,D). A particular set of branches 44 interconnecting the candidate symbol combinations through the overall sequence of state spaces 42 represents a particular symbol block sequence. The set of branches 44 interconnecting the most likely sequence of candidate symbol combinations is identified by MLSE processing of the detector 26, which in FIG. 2D considers only a reduced number of possible symbol block sequences because of the reduced size of each state space 42. This significantly reduces the computational complexity of the detector 26.

FIGS. 2A-2D, of course, represent just one example of the symbol block detection of the present invention. In this example, two assisting detectors 22 and the final assisting detector 24 collectively performed three stages of detection assistance. The assisting detector 22 performing the first stage was configured to detect two or more individual symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, to identify a reduced set 34 of candidate symbol values for each symbol 18, while the assisting detector 22 performing the second stage was configured to jointly detect each of two or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, to identify a reduced set 36 of candidate symbol combinations for each group.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that any number of detection assistance stages may be performed even for the same sequence of symbol blocks, and that any one of the assisting detectors 22 may generally either detect individual symbols 18 or jointly detect groups of symbols 18 without regard to which stage of detection assistance that assisting detector 22 may perform. That is, any or each of the one or more assisting detectors 22 may jointly detect groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, even an assisting detector 22 performing a first stage of detection assistance. At least one of the assisting detectors 22, however, is configured to detect two or more individual symbols in a symbol block, or to jointly detect each of two or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block.

In some embodiments, for example, the one or more assisting detectors 22 and the final assisting detector 24 are configured to jointly detect progressively larger distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14 across two or more stages of detection assistance. The distinct groups of symbols 18 jointly detected at any given stage may contain any number of symbols 18 above one, whether that number is odd or even, provided that the group contains a greater number of symbols 18 than those jointly detected in a previous stage. In one embodiment, though, the number of symbols 18 within a distinct group is kept as small as possible, such that the group of symbols 18 at any given stage of detection assistance comprises either a pair of symbols 18 in the symbol block 14, or the symbols 18 from two distinct groups of symbols 18 that were jointly detected in a previous stage of detection assistance.

An example of such an embodiment has already been provided in FIG. 2C. In FIG. 2C, a second assisting detector 22 performing the second stage of detection assistance jointly detects distinct groups of two symbols and the final assisting detector 24 performing the final stage of detection assistance jointly detects a distinct group of four symbols.

FIG. 3 provides a more pronounced example with a symbol block 14 that comprises a combination of eight symbols 18. In FIG. 3, an assisting detector 22 performing a second stage of detection assistance jointly detects distinct groups of two symbols, an assisting detector 22 performing a third stage of detection assistance jointly detects distinct groups of four symbols, and the final assisting detector 24 performing a final stage of detection assistance jointly detects a distinct group of eight symbols. This embodiment, of course, may be extended for symbol blocks 14 that contain any number of symbols 18.

For some symbol blocks 14, however, such as those shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, keeping the number of symbols 18 within a distinct group as small as possible may result in one symbol not being contained within any distinct group. In FIGS. 4A and 4B for instance, the assisting detector 22 performing the second stage of detection assistance is configured to jointly detect distinct groups of symbols that comprise pairs of symbols (1,2), (3,4), (5,6), (7,8), and (9,10). With only one symbol remaining, symbol 11 is not contained within any distinct group.

With symbol 11 not being contained within any distinct group, the demodulator 10 in the embodiment of FIG. 4A postpones further detection of symbol 11 until the final stage of detection assistance when all symbols are jointly detected as one large group. By postponing further detection of symbol 11, the assisting detectors 22 avoid jointly detecting groups of different numbers of symbols, thereby maximizing the sharing of any combining weights used for equalization among the groups of symbols. As a tradeoff, though, postponing further detection of symbol 11 also increases the complexity of the final assisting detector 24 performing the final stage of detection assistance, which must now consider a greater number of candidate symbol combinations for the symbols in the symbol block. Note that the fourth stage could be divided into to substages to reduce complexity, but would require even more combining weights to be computed.

To reduce the complexity of the final assisting detector 24, the one or more assisting detectors 22 in the embodiment of FIG. 4B are further configured to jointly detect a distinct group of symbols that includes (1) K symbols from one distinct group jointly detected in a previous stage; and (2) a single symbol not contained in any distinct group or M symbols where M is less than K (collectively also referred to as a partial group because the group contains fewer symbols than the distinct groups that were jointly detected in the previous stage of detection assistance). Accordingly, the assisting demodulator 22 performing the third stage of detection assistance in FIG. 4B is configured to jointly detect a distinct group of symbols that includes (1) symbols 9 and 10, which were jointly detected as a group in the second stage; and (2) symbol 11, which is not contained within any group. By merging symbol 11 into a group for joint detection in an early stage of detection assistance, the demodulator 10 in FIG. 4B reduces the number of candidate symbol combinations which must be considered at later stages of detection assistance.

Regardless of the specific manner in which the one or more assisting detectors 22 group the symbols 18 in a symbol block 14 for joint detection, the assisting detectors 22 identify the reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block 14 based on the reduced sets identified for the groups of symbols 18 and/or individual symbols 18 in the symbol block 14. More particularly, the one or more assisting detectors 22 identify the reduced set 23 as the set of combinations that can be formed using, for each symbol 18 in the symbol block 14, (1) the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set identified for the largest distinct group of symbols 18 that contains the symbol; or (2) if the symbol is not contained in any distinct group, the candidate symbol values in the reduced set identified for the symbol.

In FIG. 4A, for example, the group of symbols 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8 jointly detected in the fourth stage of detection assistance is the largest distinct group in which any of the symbols 1-8 are jointly detected. Similarly, the group of symbols 9 and 10 jointly detected in the second stage of detection assistance is the largest distinct group in which either symbol 9 or 10 is jointly detected. Finally, symbol Ills not contained in any distinct group. Accordingly the assisting detectors 22 in FIG. 4A identify the reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations for this symbol block 14 as the set of combinations that can be formed using (1) the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set identified in the fourth stage of detection assistance for the group of symbols 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8; (2) the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set identified in the second stage of detection assistance for the group of symbols 9 and 10; and (3) the candidate symbol values in the reduced set identified in the first stage of detection assistance for symbol 11.

Furthermore, the final assisting detector 24 in the above described embodiments has identified the final reduced set 25 for a symbol block 14 by jointly detecting a group of all symbols in that symbol block 14. However, the final assisting detector 24 in other embodiments may nonetheless identify the final reduced set 25 by jointly detecting one or more distinct groups of less than all symbols in a symbol block 14. For instance, assume that the second stage of detection assistance back in the example of FIG. 2C was in fact the final stage performed by the final assisting detector 24 (meaning that the first stage was performed by a single assisting detector 22). In this case, the final assisting detector 24 jointly detects each of two distinct groups of two symbols in much the same way as the second assisting detector 22 did so in the unmodified example, to thereby identify the final reduced set 25 as the set of combinations (A,B,D,D), (A,B,C,A), (B,B,D,D), and (B,B,C,A). With the example in FIG. 2C modified in this way, the state space 42-2 for symbol block k in the sequence estimation process shown in FIG. 2D would then include all four of these combinations rather than just two combinations.

Other modifications, variations, and improvements of the above described embodiments are also contemplated by the present invention. In one embodiment, for example, an assisting detector 22 that jointly detects each of two or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14 minimizes the number of computations required to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for that group. In particular, the assisting detector 22 generates joint metrics associated with candidate symbol combinations of the symbols 18 in the group and compares those joint metrics in a certain order (e.g., based upon likelihood metrics associated with the symbols 18 or groups of symbols 18 that make up the candidate symbol combinations).

In the example of FIG. 2C, for instance, the first assisting detector 22 performing the first stage of detection assistance may determine that symbol 1 is most likely to have candidate symbol value A, and next-most likely to have candidate symbol value B. The first assisting detector 22 may also determine that symbol 2 is most likely to have candidate symbol value B, and next-most likely to have candidate symbol value A. The second assisting detector 22 performing the second stage of detection assistance, therefore, generates joint metrics associated with candidate symbol combinations of symbols 1 and 2 that can be formed from the reduced sets 34-1 and 34-2 identified by the first stage: (B,B), (A,A), (A,B), and (B,A). To identify a reduced set 36-1,2 containing the most likely ones of these combinations, the second assisting detector 22 compares the joint metrics generated for the combinations in an order that is based on the likelihood determined for the individual symbols by the first stage. In one embodiment, for example, the second assisting detector 22 creates an ordered list of candidate symbol combinations with (A,B) initially assumed as most likely, (B,B) as next most likely, followed by (A,A) and then (B,A), and uses a sorting algorithm such as bubble sort or insertion sort to re-order the list, if needed, based on comparing the joint metrics generated for those combinations. As the entire list does not need to be sorted, a partial insertion sort can be used. With a partial sort, only a certain number of the best values are maintained. For example, a candidate value can be compared to the last value on the list and discarded if not better. Otherwise, it is compared to other values in the list. Other sorting approaches, such as a partial binary insertion sort, can also be used. Regardless, because the list is most likely already in order, and because the comparisons are made in an order based on the likelihood of each individual symbol determined from the first stage, the number of comparisons required for the second assisting detector 22 to identify the most likely combinations is decreased from that which would have been required otherwise. To decrease the number of comparison required even further, the second assisting detector 22 may be configured to not even consider a number of the least likely combinations (e.g., B,A).

Other variations of the above described embodiments concern the size S₁, S₂, . . . S_(f) of the reduced sets determined at each stage of detection assistance (whether that includes a reduced set of candidate symbol values for an individual symbol 18, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for a distinct group of symbols 18, the reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations for a symbol block 14, or the final reduced set 25). In one embodiment, the size of the reduced set(s) identified at each stage of detection assistance is fixed. In the example of FIG. 2C, for instance, the size of the reduced sets for each stage was fixed for illustrative purposes at S₁=S₂=S_(f)=2. In general, however, the size at each stage may be fixed based on a signal quality and/or delay spread experienced by an assisting detector 22, 24 at that stage. For instance, the signal quality decreases across earlier stages of detection assistance as more and more signal energy must be expended to suppress ISI, but begins to increase across later stages as other symbols 18 contributing to the ISI become part of the joint symbol being detected. Accordingly, the size of the reduced sets may be fixed to be increasingly larger across earlier stages of detection assistance and to be decreasingly smaller across later stages.

The size at each stage may alternatively be fixed based on a probability of including a correct (i.e., actually transmitted) candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in a reduced set identified at that stage. This probability may be determined empirically, by simulation, etc. for different possible sizes of the reduced set at a stage, and the size of the stage fixed to the minimum possible size that has a probability which meets or exceeds a target probability.

Of course, in embodiments where the size of the reduced set at each stage is fixed to a minimum size required to meet a target performance criteria, the complexity of the stages may nonetheless be restrictive. To reduce the complexity of the stages while maintaining the target performance criteria, the size of a reduced set identified by at least one stage may be fixed based on an offset above the minimum size determined for that stage. For example, by increasing the size of a reduced set identified at an earlier stage, the size of a reduced set identified at a later stage needed to meet the target performance criteria may be smaller (resulting in less computational complexity for these later stages).

Even if the size of a reduced set identified by a stage is fixed, in some embodiments, that size is adapted e.g., based on previous symbol blocks 14 detected. In one embodiment, for example, the size is adapted based on a frequency with which each candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in a reduced set identified by one stage of detection assistance forms part of a candidate symbol combination included in a reduced set identified by a succeeding stage of detection assistance. If the candidate symbol values or candidate symbol combinations in a reduced set identified by an earlier stage are ranked in order of likelihood, for instance, and the last ranked value or combination is rarely included in a reduced set identified by a later stage, the size of the reduced set identified by the earlier stage may be decreased. Otherwise, the size may be increased.

In other embodiments, the size of a reduced set identified by a stage is dynamically varied e.g., based on the symbol block 14 currently being detected. For instance, the size of a reduced set identified by at least one stage may be dynamically varied based on a signal quality of the received signal 16 at that stage. In this case, the size of that reduced set may be dynamically increased if the signal quality is low, and dynamically decreased if the signal quality is high.

While the above discussion has generally assumed for illustrative purposes that all reduced sets identified by a stage of detection assistance are the same size, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the sizes of the reduced sets may vary even if they are identified by the same stage. In this case, the one or more assisting detectors 22 may be configured to form distinct groups of symbols 18 for at least one stage based on the size of the reduced sets determined for symbols 18 or groups of symbols 18 at a previous stage. For a symbol block 14 comprising a combination of eight symbols 18, for example, the first stage may determine reduced sets of candidate symbol values for those symbols 18 which have sizes of: 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 7. Accordingly, an assisting detector 22 performing the second stage of detection assistance may be configured to jointly detect distinct groups of symbols 18 that are formed to pair a symbol 18 having a large reduced set with a symbol 18 having a small reduced set (e.g., pairing a symbol having a reduced set size of 1 with a symbol having a reduced set size of 7, and continuing in the same manner by pairing 1 and 5, 2 and 4, and 3 and 4).

Significant flexibility exists regarding the detailed implementation of the demodulator 10. For example, the one or more assisting detectors 22 may each comprise a RAKE receiver, a Generalized RAKE receiver, a Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE), a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) equalizer or a similar form of equalization adapted to process the received signal 16 on a per-symbol basis and to identify a set of possible symbol values for each symbol. The one or more assisting detectors 22 may also comprise a Block DFE (BDFE), a Block Linear Equalizer (BLE), or a similar form of equalization adapted to jointly detect a distinct group of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14 and to identify a set of possible symbol combinations for such a group. The same can be said for the final assisting detector 24, which is configured to jointly detect one or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, and the detector 26. Code-specific BDFE and BLE implementations are described in more detail in G. E. Bottomley, “Block equalization and generalized MLSE arbitration for the HSPA WCDMA uplink,” IEEE VTC Fall 2008, Calgary, Canada, Sep. 21-24, 2008. This reference assumes a joint detection of all symbols transmitted in the same symbol period. It is straightforward to modify the processing weights to account for joint detection of a subset of symbols. Both code-specific and code-averaged forms are described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/035,846, Bottomley et al., “A Method and apparatus for block-based signal demodulation.” Code-averaged forms are preferred as they are much less complex. Note that the filtering weights used depend on the number of symbols in the group being jointly detected. The detector 26, of course, may also comprise MLSE adapted to consider only a reduced number of candidate symbol combinations for each symbol block 14 in the sequence 12.

The form of equalization employed by the one or more assisting detectors 22, final assisting detector 24, and the detector 26 may even differ between symbols 18 or groups of symbols 18 within the same stage of detection assistance. Moreover, equalization may be performed at the chip level, processing chip samples from one or more receive antennas, at the symbol level, using e.g., RAKE combined or G-RAKE combined values, or even at the bit level.

Given that all or at least significant parts of equalization performed by the demodulator 10 can be implemented flexibly, the demodulator 10 may be configured to selectively perform any one or more of the above mentioned equalization processing. Such selection may adapt the equalization performed responsive to changing reception conditions (e.g., channel dispersion and/or SNR).

With the above points of variation and implementation of the demodulator 10 in mind, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the demodulator 10 of the present invention generally performs the method illustrated in FIG. 5 to detect a plurality of symbol blocks in a received signal. According to FIG. 5, the method begins by performing one or more stages of detection assistance. In at least one of those stages of detection assistance, the method includes detecting two or more individual symbols in a symbol block, or jointly detecting each of two or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block. Collectively, performing the stages of detection assistance includes identifying from a defined set of candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block 14 in the plurality of symbol blocks, a reduced set 23 of candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block (Block 100). The method continues with performing a final stage of detection assistance. In the final stage of detection assistance, the method includes jointly detecting each of one or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, to thereby determine from the reduced set 23 identified for that symbol block 14 a final reduced set 25 of candidate symbol combinations (Block 110). The method then continues with detecting the plurality of symbol blocks 14 by processing the received signal 16 in a joint detection process that limits the candidate combinations of symbols 18 considered for a symbol block 14 to the corresponding final reduced set 25 of candidate symbol combinations (Block 120). In limiting the candidate combinations of symbols 18 considered for a symbol block 14, the method greatly reduces the computational complexity of symbol block detection.

The significant reduction in symbol block detection computational complexity gained from the present invention can be particularly beneficial for received signal processing in wireless communication contexts, although the invention is not limited to such applications. While described for a CDMA system, in which a time sequence of symbol blocks are detected, the invention applies to sequences in code, subcarriers, and space. It also applies to combinations of different types of sequences. Thus, in general, the invention applies to a plurality of symbol blocks. For example, in the downlink of the LTE system, MIMO is used. While there may be no ISI between different blocks of symbols in time, there is ISI in space, between symbols sent from different transmit antennas or beams. With 4×4 MIMO, for example, there is ISI within groups of 4 symbols. In this case, the first detection assistance stage may detect each of four individual symbols, and the final detection assistance stage may jointly detect each of two groups of two symbols each. The detector 26 may then jointly detect a group of all four symbols.

Regardless, determining processing weights for joint detection of symbol subsets is well understood; See, for example, V. Tarokh, A. Naguib, N. Seshadri and A. R. Calderbank, “Combined array processing and space-time coding,” IEEE Trans. Info. Theory, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 1121-1128, May 1999. Note that in the final stage of detection assistance, the forming of the one or more groups of symbols for joint detection may not be random. It would be advantageous, for instance, to pair symbols that interfere more with one another. This can be determined using a channel matrix as described in X. Li, H. C. Huang, A. Lozano, and G. J. Foschini, “Reduced-complexity detection algorithms for systems using multi-element arrays,” in Proc. IEEE Globecom, San Francisco, Nov. 17-Dec. 1, 2000, pp. 1072-1076.

Another example is the LTE uplink, in which a single-carrier approach is used. The approach effectively transmits symbols one at a time sequentially in time. In this case, a symbol block may be defined as 4 sequential symbols (.e.g, symbols 1, 2, 3, 4 is one block, symbols 5, 6, 7 and 8 is another block, and so on). Formation of combining weights for a BDFE in this case is described in D. Williamson, R. A. Kennedy, and G. W. Pulford, “Block decision feedback equalization,” IEEE Trans. Commun.}, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 255-264, February 1992.

In general, therefore, a symbol block as used herein may include the combination of two or more symbols sent in parallel using different orthogonal codes, two or more symbols sent from different antennas, or two or more symbols transmitted in a time interval of interest.

In view of the above described variations, FIG. 6 illustrates a base station 50 for use in a wireless communication network, for supporting wireless communications with a user equipment (UE) 52. The base station 50 comprises, for example, a WCDMA, LTE, CMDA2000 or other type of base station, and the UE 52 comprises a cellular radiotelephone, pager, network access card, computer, PDA, or other type of wireless communication device.

In one embodiment, the UE 52 includes an embodiment of the demodulator 10 as taught herein, for processing downlink signals 54 transmitted by the base station 50 over a time-dispersive channel 56. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 50 includes an embodiment of the demodulator 10 as taught herein, for processing uplink signals 58 transmitted by the UE over a time-dispersive channel 59, which may or may not be the same as the channel 56.

FIG. 7 provides a more detailed but non-limiting transmitter/receiver example. At a transmitter 60, information symbols 62 are optionally encoded using a forward-error-correction (FEC) encoder 64, such as a convolutional encoder or turbo-code encoder. The resulting modem bits are provided to a modulator 66, where modem symbols are formed (e.g. QPSK, 16-QAM) and used to modulate waveforms such as spreading waveforms or OFDM subcarriers. The modem symbols can be pre-coded via a Discrete Fourier Transform before being modulated on OFDM subcarriers, like the case in the uplink of LTE. The resulting signal is then modulated onto a radio carrier in RF transmit circuits 68, and transmitted on one or more transmit antennas 70. The transmitted signal 72 passes through a transmission medium 74, such as a multipath fading channel, and arrives at one or more receive antennas 76 at a receiver 78. The received signals are processed by a front-end RF circuit 80, which mixes them down to baseband and digitizes them to form a baseband signal that, in this embodiment, represents the earlier identified received signal 16. The received signal values comprising the received signal 16 thus represent or otherwise convey a given sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14.

Receiver processing circuits 82 include an embodiment of the demodulator 10, which may be configured to process the received signal 16. In particular, as taught herein, the demodulator 10 includes one or more assisting detectors 22, a final assisting detector 24, and a detector 26. At least one of the assisting detectors 22 detects two or more individual symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, or jointly detects each of two or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14. The one or more assisting detectors 22 collectively identify from a defined set of candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block 14 in the sequence 12, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations. The final assisting detector 24 then jointly detects each of one or more distinct groups of symbols 18 in a symbol block 14, to thereby determine from the reduced set identified for that symbol block a final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations. Finally, the detector 26 detects the sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14 by processing the received signal 16 in a joint detection process that limits the candidate combinations of symbols 18 considered for a symbol block 14 to the final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined for that symbol block 14.

In doing so, the demodulator 10 may generate soft bit values 88 for the symbols 18 in the sequence 12 of symbol blocks 14. Soft bit values 88 indicate information about the reliability of the bits detected. The detector 26 may generate soft bit values 88, for example, in accordance with a Soft-Output Viterbi Algorithm (SOVA), as described by J. Hagenauer and P. Hoeher, “A Viterbi Algorithm with Soft-Decision Outputs and its Applications,” in Proc. Globecom, Dallas Tex., Nov. 27-30, 1989. In this case, the detector 26 generates soft bit values 88 based on the difference between (1) a metric computed for the detected symbol block sequence (which includes the detected bit value for a particular bit represented in the sequence); and (2) a metric computed for a non-detected symbol block sequence that includes a bit value complementary to the detected bit value for that particular bit.

Yet because the detector 26 of the present invention does not consider all candidate combinations of symbols 18 for a symbol block 14, the detector 26 may not consider or otherwise compute a metric for a non-detected symbol block sequence that includes a bit value complementary to a detected bit value. Accordingly, the detector 26 may also generate soft bit values 88 using other known approaches, such as those described by H. Arslan and D. Hui, “Soft Bit Generation for Reduced-State Equalization in EDGE,” in Proc. Wireless Communications and Networking Conference, Mar. 20, 2003, pp. 816-820, and N. Seshadri and P. Hoeher, “On Post-Decision Symbol-Reliability Generation,” IEEE International Conference on Communications, Geneva, May 23-26, 1993.

In one embodiment, for instance, the detector 26 performs a first joint detection process to generate some of the soft bit values 88 and performs a second joint detection process to generate the remaining soft bit values 88. Specifically, the detector 26 in the first joint detection process detects the symbol block sequence by limiting the number of possible symbol block sequences considered (e.g., by forming state spaces in a trellis from the most likely symbol blocks). The possible symbol block sequences considered may or may not include bit values complementary to the detected bit values. The detector 26, therefore, generates soft bit values 88 for those detected bit values that do have complementary bit values represented by the possible sequences.

In the second joint detection process, the detector 26 limits the possible symbol block sequences considered to the detected symbol block sequence and those possible sequences that have bit values complementary to the detected bit values (e.g., by forming state spaces in a trellis from the symbol blocks included in the detected sequence and those that have one or more bit values complementary to the detected bit values, even if they are not the most likely). The trellis is much simpler, in that only paths needed for soft bit detection are generated, i.e., those that deviate and return to the detected path giving a single bit flip. Based on metrics computed for these possible symbol block sequences, the detector 26 generates the remaining soft bit values 88; namely, those for the detected bit values that did not have complementary bit values represented in the first joint detection process. Of course, the detector 26 in the second joint detection process may also generate additional soft bit values 88 for the detected bit values that did have complementary bit values represented in the first process. In this case, the detector 26 may select which soft bit value 88 to use for a particular detected bit value e.g., based on which one indicates greater reliability.

Regardless of the specific manner in which they are generated, the soft bit values 88 are output by the demodulator 10 and input to a decoding circuit 84. The decoding circuit 84 decodes the detected symbols 18 based on the provided soft bit values 88 to recover the originally transmitted information. The decoding circuit 84 outputs such information to one or more additional processing circuits 86, for further operations. The nature of the additional processing circuits varies with the intended function or purpose of the receiver 78, e.g., base station circuit, mobile terminal circuit, etc., and it should be understood more generally that the illustrated architecture of the receiver 78 is non-limiting.

Likewise, all of the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and individual apparatuses taught herein. As such, the present invention is not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the present invention is limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A demodulator configured to detect a plurality of symbol blocks in a received signal, each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprising a combination of two or more symbols, comprising: one or more assisting detectors, at least one of which is configured to detect two or more individual symbols in a symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol values for each symbol, or to jointly detect each of two or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each group, to thereby collectively identify from a defined set of candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block in the plurality of symbol blocks, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for the at least one symbol block; a final assisting detector configured to jointly detect each of one or more distinct groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each group, to thereby determine from the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified for the at least one symbol block a final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations, wherein the one or more assisting detectors and the final assisting detector are configured to perform two or more stages of detection assistance in succession, and to detect a progressively larger number of symbols in the at least one symbol block across those two or more stages of detection assistance; and a detector configured to detect the plurality of symbol blocks by processing the received signal in a joint detection process that limits candidate combinations of symbols considered for the at least one symbol block to the final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined by the final assisting detector for the at least one symbol block.
 2. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein the one or more assisting detectors and the final assisting detector are configured to jointly detect progressively larger distinct groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block across the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 3. The demodulator of claim 2, wherein the distinct groups of symbols that are jointly detected by the one or more assisting detectors and the final assisting detector each comprise either: a pair of symbols in the at least one symbol block; or symbols from two distinct groups of symbols that were jointly detected in a previous stage of detection assistance.
 4. The demodulator of claim 3, wherein the one or more assisting detectors are further configured to jointly detect a distinct group of symbols that comprises symbols from one distinct group that was jointly detected in a previous stage and a single symbol not contained in any distinct group.
 5. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more assisting detectors, or the final assisting detector, or both, is configured to jointly detect a given distinct group of symbols by: generating joint metrics associated with candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group; and comparing the generated joint metrics to identify the most likely candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group.
 6. The demodulator of claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more assisting detectors, or the final assisting detector, or both, is configured to compare the joint metrics generated for the candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group in an order that is based on likelihood metrics associated with the symbols or groups of symbols making up those candidate symbol combinations.
 7. The demodulator of claim 1: wherein the reduced set of candidate symbol values for each symbol comprises the one or more most likely symbol values for the symbol, out of a defined set of candidate symbol values for the symbol; and wherein the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each distinct group comprises the one or more most likely symbol combinations for that distinct group, out of all candidate symbol combinations for the distinct group.
 8. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein the one or more assisting detectors are configured to collectively identify the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for the at least one symbol block as the set of combinations possible using, for each symbol in the at least one symbol block: the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified for the largest distinct group of symbols that contains the symbol in the at least one symbol block; or if the symbol in the at least one symbol block is not contained in any distinct group, the candidate symbol values in the reduced set of candidate symbol values identified for the symbol in the at least one symbol block.
 9. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein the reduced sets of candidate symbol combinations identified at each stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance after a first stage are identified based on the reduced sets of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at a previous stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 10. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is fixed based on an offset above a minimum size determined for the at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 11. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is fixed based on a probability of including a correct candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations.
 12. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein the one or more assisting detectors are configured to adapt a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance based on a frequency with which each candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set candidate symbol combinations form part of a candidate symbol combination included in a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at a succeeding stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 13. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set candidate symbol combinations determined for symbols or distinct groups of symbols for at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is dynamically varied based on a signal quality of the received signal at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 14. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein the one or more assisting detectors are configured to form distinct groups of symbols for at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance based on a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set candidate symbol combinations determined for symbols or distinct groups of symbols at a previous stage.
 15. The demodulator of claim 9, wherein the detector is further configured to generate soft bit values for the plurality of symbol blocks.
 16. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols sent in parallel using different orthogonal codes.
 17. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols sent from different antennas.
 18. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols transmitted in a time interval of interest.
 19. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein groups of symbols that are distinct from one another have no symbols in common.
 20. The demodulator of claim 1, wherein the joint detection process is a maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) process.
 21. A method implemented by a demodulator for detecting a plurality of symbol blocks in a received signal, each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprising a combination of two or more symbols, comprising: performing one or more stages of detection assistance, by, in at least one stage, detecting two or more individual symbols in a symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol values for each symbol, or jointly detecting each of two or more distinct groups of symbols in a symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each group, to thereby collectively identify from a defined set of candidate symbol combinations, for at least one symbol block in the plurality of symbol blocks, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for that symbol block; performing a final stage of detection assistance, by, in the final stage, jointly detecting each of one or more distinct groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block to identify a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each group, to thereby determine from the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified for the at least one symbol block a final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations, wherein performing one or more stages of detection assistance and performing the final stage of detection assistance comprises performing two or more stages of detection assistance in succession by detecting a progressively larger number of symbols in the at least one symbol block across those two or more stages of detection assistance; and detecting the plurality of symbol blocks by processing the received signal in a joint detection process that limits candidate combinations of symbols considered for the at least one symbol block to the final reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined by the final assisting detector for the at least one symbol block.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the performing of the two or more stages of detection assistance comprises performing the two or more stages of detection assistance in succession by jointly detecting progressively larger distinct groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block across those two or more stages of detection assistance.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the jointly detecting of progressively larger groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block across the stages of the two or more stages of detection assistance comprises jointly detecting distinct groups of symbols that each comprise either: a pair of symbols in the at least one symbol block; or symbols from two distinct groups that were jointly detected in a previous stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the jointly detecting of progressively larger distinct groups of symbols in the at least one symbol block across two or more the stages of detection assistance further comprises jointly detecting a distinct group of symbols that comprises symbols from one distinct group that was jointly detected in a previous stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance and a single symbol not contained in any distinct group.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the jointly detecting of a given distinct group of symbols in a symbol block comprises: generating joint metrics associated with candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group; and comparing the generated joint metrics to identify the most likely candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing the generated joint metrics comprises comparing the joint metrics generated for the candidate symbol combinations of the symbols in the given distinct group in an order that is based on likelihood metrics associated with the symbols or the one or more distinct groups of symbols making up the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations.
 27. The method of claim 21: wherein the reduced set of candidate symbol values for each symbol comprises one or more most likely symbol values for the symbol, out of a defined set of candidate symbol values for the symbol; and wherein the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for each distinct group comprises one or more most likely symbol combinations for that group, out of all candidate symbol combinations for the group.
 28. The method of claim 21, wherein performing one or more stages of detection assistance to collectively identify, for at least one symbol block in the plurality of symbol blocks, a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for the at least one symbol block comprises identifying the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations for the at least one symbol block as the set of combinations possible using, for each symbol in the at least one symbol block: the candidate symbol combinations in the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified for the largest distinct group of symbols that contains the symbol; or if that symbol is not contained in any distinct group, the candidate symbol values in the reduced set of candidate symbol values identified for the symbol.
 29. The method of claim 21, wherein the reduced sets of candidate symbol combinations identified at each stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance after a first stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance are identified based on the reduced sets of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at a previous stage.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein a size of reduced set identified of candidate symbol combinations at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is fixed based on an offset above a minimum size determined for stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 31. The method of claim 29, wherein a size of reduced set identified of candidate symbol combinations at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is fixed based on a probability of including a correct candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations.
 32. The method of claim 29, further comprising adapting a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance based on a frequency with which each candidate symbol value or candidate symbol combination in the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations form part of a candidate symbol combination included in a reduced set of candidate symbol combinations identified at a succeeding stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 33. The method of claim 29, wherein a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined for symbols or distinct groups of symbols at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance is dynamically varied based on a signal quality of the received signal at at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance.
 34. The method of claim 29, further comprising forming distinct groups of symbols for at least one stage of the two or more stages of detection assistance based on a size of the reduced set of candidate symbol values or the reduced set of candidate symbol combinations determined for symbols or distinct groups of symbols at a previous stage.
 35. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating soft bit values for the plurality of symbol blocks.
 36. The method of claim 21, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols sent in parallel using different orthogonal codes.
 37. The method of claim 21, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols sent from different antennas.
 38. The method of claim 21, wherein each symbol block of the plurality of symbol blocks comprises the combination of two or more symbols transmitted in a time interval of interest.
 39. The method of claim 21, wherein groups of symbols that are distinct from one another have no symbols in common.
 40. The method of claim 21, wherein the joint detection process is a maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) process. 